Is Mozart - Concerto for Flute & Harp K.299 Rondeau in Sonata-Rondo form?

Question

As a listening exercise I'm trying to see how the 3rd movement of Mozart's Concerto K.299 fits into the sonata-rondo form.

I don't know how many times I've listened to this piece, I don't seem to be able to find the pattern.

I can detect a few repeating sections, but I can't fit them in the ABACA..etc. Possibly because I am following the wrong sections?

Here are the sections (themes) I can detect (time stamped to this video):

section-1: ripiano (0:00)

section-2: ripiano (0:39)

section-3: harp (1:17)

section-3: repeated by flute (1:33)

section-4: starts with flute solo, harp accompnaiment (1:49)

section-5: flute with light string accompnaiment (2:37)

section-5: harp and winds (2:58)

section-5: repeat of time stamp 2:37 (3:44)

section-1: flute & harp (4:16)

section-1: ripiano followed by ripiano development (4:29)

section-6: flute with accompnaiment (4:54) the section is repeated

section-3: (5:17)

section-4: (6:11)

section-5: (6:43)

section-2: (7:40)

Cadenza: (8:30)

section-1: (9:16)

I have a feeling that I have too many sections, and some of these sections are variations on earlier sections.

In desperation, if I rename the sections as:

section-1: A

section-2: B

section-3, section-4, section5: C

Then I get A B C A C B A

Answer 1

The 3rd movement of Mozart's Concerto K.299 is indeed in sonata-rondo form, but I'd say your analysis isn't quite there.

First, this movement only fits the more flexible "'six-part' variant in Mozart" mentioned in the Wikipedia article about sonata-rondo form, with an [A B' A]exp [C"]dev [B A]recap form.

Sonata-rondo form often depends on its B section starting in a different key from the home key (often the key the exposition of a sonata-allegro in the same key would move to), then the next appearance of the B section being in the home key or tonic major. Thus, the true B section starts at a key change - listen for that the next time you try to detect sonata-rondo form! For this movement, the true B section only starts at 2:06 - you can ignore instrumentation and texture changes when detecting the B section.

You can tell that G major section (which corresponds to your Section 5 and part of your Section 4) is a B section because it reappears in the home key of C major at 6:11. (At least you got that label right.)

Your detection of Section 1 at 4:16 is spot-on, as that signifies the beginning of the first return of the A section. The lack of a developmental section preceding that returning A section is one of the hallmarks of sonata-rondo form.

I'd say the C section, a developmental section, actually starts at 4:47 with the fleeting modulation to A minor.

The third return of the A section, another hallmark of sonata-rondo form, is indeed at 7:38, roughly corresponding to your detection of Section 2 (which I'd call the A2 section) at 7:40.

This is therefore how I'd analyze this Mozart concerto 3rd movement:

Section A1: 0:00

Section A2: 0:39

Section B: 2:06

Section A1: 4:16

Section C: 4:47

Section B': 6:11

Section A2: 7:38

Cadenza: 8:35

Section A1: 9:14